Elevator.



No. ensue. Patented Apr. 9,, I91; J. m. WOLFMAN'GL H. n. JENSEN.

E L E V A T 0 R (Applicn tion flljed Sept. 8, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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llNITED STATES PATENT FICE.

JACOB M. WOLFMAN AND HANS H. JENSEN, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 671,506, dated April 9, 1901.

Application filed September 8, 1900; Serial No. 29,366. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JACOB M. WOLFMAN and HANS H. JENSEN, of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Elevators, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

Our invention has relation to improvements in elevators, and more especially to the class of portable elevators which are adapted to be moved from one position to another in a warehouse.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved form of mechanism for raising and lowering the elevatorplatform, which shall be simple in construction and possess the capability of lifting very heavy loads with a minimum of power.

With the above primary object and other incidental objects in view the invention consists of the devices and parts or their equivalents, as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention. Fig. 2 is view at right angles to Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 4 indicates the base of the elevator, from the corners of which extend upwardly for a desired distance four uprights 5, which, together with the braces and the arch, hereinafter referred to, form the frame of the machine.

The numeral 6 indicates a movable platform, which is fitted between and is'movable on the uprights, the corners of the platform being cut away at angles, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, in order to accurately fit the uprights.

The uprights may be suitably braced and connected together, and for this purpose the front and rear uprights at their upper ends are connected together by means of bracerods 7 7, and the rear uprights are connected together at medial points by a transverse brace-bar 8, said bar 8 outstanding from the uprights a slight distance for the purpose hereinafter set forth. The upper ends of the front uprights are connected by means of an arch 9, said arch being provided at a medial point with an outstanding bearing 10, in which is journaled ashort shaft 11. Upon this shaft are mounted two grooved pulleys 12 12.

Extending longitudinally of the front uprights are chains 13 13, the upper ends of said chains being connected to these uprights at the points 14 14 and the lower ends of said chains at the points 15 15. Similar chains 16 16 are arranged parallel with and longitudinally of the rear uprights, the upper ends of said chains being connected to the uprights at the points 17 17 and the lower ends of said chains at the points 18 18.

J ournaled in bearings beneath the platform and extending parallel with the side edges of said platform are shafts 19 19, the ends of said shafts extending beyond the front and rear uprights. The extreme ends projecting beyond the front uprights have mounted thereon chain-Wheels 2O 20, around which the chains 13 13 are wound, and the rear ends of said shafts projecting beyond the rear uprights have chain-wheels 21 21 mounted thereon and around which the rear chains 16 16 are wound. The forwardly-projecting ends of the shafts 19 19 have also mounted'thereon other chain-wheels 22 22.

Mounted beneath an intermediate portion of the platform, in suitable bearin gs therefor, is a shaft 23, and on the forward extremity of this shaft are mounted two grooved pulleys 24 24. Also mounted on this projecting end of said shaft 23 and in line with the chainwheels 22 22 is another chain-wheel 25. Connecting the several chain-wheels 22 22 and 25 is a chain 26, said chain being crossedbetween the central chain-wheel 25 and one of the end chain-wheels 22. A ratchet-wheel 27 is also mounted on the shaft 23, said wheel projecting through a slot therefor in the bottom of the platform in order to permit the wheel to be engaged by a spring-actuated pawl 28.

The numeral 29 indicates the hoisting and lowering rope or cable. This rope has one end secured to the arch 9 at the point 30 and is then extended downwardly and around the pulley 24, (being preferably wound a plurality of times around said pulley,) thence upwardly and around the pulley 12, thence downwardly and once around the pulley 24, thence upwardly and around pulley 12, and thence elevator and for also holding'the elevator securely against movement on the rollers 31'.

Any approved form of mechanism maybe employed for this purpose; but we prefer to provide the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein are illustrated t-wo rack-bars 32 32 connected to the front uprights 13 and projecting laterally therefrom. These rack-bars are provided with laterallyextending fingers, which are connected by vertical rods 33 33.

The numerals 3 1 34 indicate supportingbraces, which are provided at their upper ends with inwardly-extending dogs 35 35. These dogs are provided with openings through which the rods 33 loosely pass, thereby per mitting the braces to be raised or lowered on the rods and also permitting said braces to be swung outwardly at their lower ends. Nor mally the lower ends of the braces are fitted in recesses 36, so that the elevator may be freely moved from one location to another. In Fig. 1 the right-hand brace is shown as engaging one of the recesses 36, while the lefthand brace is shown as disengaged from its recess and swung out at its lower end. When i it is desired to'anchor or secure the elevator at a certain point of location, both braces 34 are swung out in the manner in which the lefthand braceis shown in Fig. 1. This swingingoutwardly of the braces will throw the dogs at the upper ends thereof into engagement with the teeth of the racks 32, and consequently the elevator will be firmly secured or anchored in adjusted position.

Inthe use of our invertion the elevator is moved to the desired point and the braces ad'- justed in the manner pointed out. If now it is desired to lift a box or a heavy load, the platform is lowered to its full extent, so as to permit the box or load to be conveniently deposited thereon. The operator then stands on the platform and pulls downwardly on the free end of the rope or cable. As the rope en'- gages the pulleys 2 1 and 24 the shaft 23 is necessarily rotated and hencethe chain-wheel 25 on said shaft. This chain-wheel will impart motion to the chain 26 and't'hrough said chain cause the shafts 19 19 to rotate. As the chain-wheels 20 20 and 21 21 are mounted on these shafts, said chain-wheels will be caused to ride up on the chains 13, and consequently the platform will necessarily be raised. In

view of the fact that the brace-bar 8 stands outwardly from the rear uprights 5, said bar offers no obstruction to the freeu p movement of the platform, the chain-wheels 21 being permitted to pass between said bar and the uprights. As the chains 13 are engaged by the chain-wheels 20 20 and 21 21 on opposite sides of the platform, of course said platform is caused to ascend and descend without any tendency to sidewise tilting.

In order to multiply the power, it is desirable that the rope or cable 29 should pass a plurality of times around the pulley 2 1. In

the drawings we have indicated said rope as passing twice around said pulley. It is of course obvious that if greater power is required the rope may be wound a greater number of times around said pulley.

Of course after the platform has been raised to the required height itis held in its adj usted position by means of the engagement of the dog 28 with the ratchet-wheel'2'7. After the load is removed from the platform and placed on shelves or on top of other boxes foot-pressure is exerted on the lever 28, and by the operator retaining hold of the rope 29 the descent of the platform may be regulated.

Of course instead of lifting a load" in the first place the platform may be raised and a load removed from an'upper position or shelving and placed on the platform and lowered.

Our invention will be found of great utility in large warehouses, particularly tobaccowa'reho'uses, where it is necessary to raise heavy loads to high points or lower such loads from high points and at different locations of the wareroom. It will be seen that our invention answers all requirements for the purpose indicated.

What we claim as our invention is-'.-

1. 'In" an elevator, the combination of an elevator-frame, a platform movable in said frame, vertically-arranged Wheelengaging means. at the front and rear of said platform, shafts mounted in the platform, wheels carried by said shaft and engaging the said means, another shaft mounted in the platform and carrying one or more pulley wheels, means for transferring the rotation of this shaft to the other twoshafts, a pulley or pulleys mounted in the upper portion of the frame, a rope or cable extended back and forth between the pulleys, and means forholding the platform in adjusted position.

2'. In an elevator, the combination of an elevator-frame, a platform movable in said frame, vertically arranged chain engaging means at the front and rear of said platform, shafts mounted in the platform, wheels carried by said shafts and engaging the said means, another shaft mounted inthe platform and carrying a plurality of pulleys, means for transferring the rotationof this shaft to the other two shafts, a plurality of pulleys mounted in the upper portion of the frame, a rope or cable extended back and forth between the pulleys,and wound a plurality of times around one of the lower pulleys, and means for bold ing the platform in adjusted position.

3. The combination of a frame, racks secured to the frame, said racks provided with In testimony whereof we affix our signer tures in presence of two witnesses.

JACOB M. WOLFMAN. HANS H. JENSEN.

Witnesses:

A. L. MORSELL, ANNA V. FAUST. 

